Nick Pope is a passionate supporter of the space programme and believes that it
is essential to the advancement of human knowledge and the ultimate survival of
the human race. He is a frequent media commentator on a range of space-related
issues. Areas of interest/expertise and examples of media appearances include:

Radio Astronomy and SETI

Interviewed on BBC World Service TV about the use of radio astronomy in the
Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) programme. Debated the danger of
alerting other civilisations to our existence by proactive broadcasts as opposed
to passive listening, but argued that we have been a detectable civilisation for
decades by virtue of our radio and TV broadcasts. Nick Pope fully supports SETI
and believes it offers the best hope for verifiable scientific proof of the
existence of extraterrestrials, perhaps in 2024 when the Square Kilometre Array
radio telescope is fully operational.

Space Shuttle

Interviewed on Sky News about the first space shuttle launch following the
tragic loss of the Columbia, discussing the importance of the mission to the
future of the space programme. Speculated that another space shuttle loss might
put the entire manned space programme in danger, given that many people believe
the money could be better spent elsewhere. Argued that while space travel is
difficult and dangerous, the risks are manageable and worth taking. More
recently, Nick Pope has commentated in the media on the final space shuttle
flights and what this means for the space programme more generally.The Threat from Comets and Asteroids

An issue that was first raised with Nick Pope while he was at the Ministry of
Defence. He characterises the threat from Near Earth Objects (NEOs) such as
comets and asteroids as a classic "low probability/high consequence" event and
believes more research should be undertaken in this field, both in terms of
astronomical detection and threat mitigation should an NEO be detected on
collision course with Earth. Nick Pope is an Associate Member of Spaceguard UK,
an organisation that undertakes research into the threat posed by comets and
asteroids and works hard to raise parliamentary, media and public awareness of
the issue.

Extrasolar Planets

Interviewed on Channel 4 News about the discovery of an Earth-like planet
orbiting the star Gliese 581, discussing the possibility that it might harbour
life and speculating about related issues such as viable interstellar travel,
UFO evidence, etc.

Moon Landings

Nick Pope finds "we didn't go to the moon" conspiracy theories offensive to the
bravery of the astronauts and the ingenuity of the designers and engineers in
the space programme. He has debated this issue with conspiracy theorists and
uses verifiable scientific facts to disprove their arguments.